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“Seeing the Future”
Hebrews 10:15-25;
Psalm 33;
Mark 13:1-8;
1 Samuel 1:4-20; 1 Samuel 2:1-10
Rev. Sandy Nuernberg
Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian Church, Cambridge, WI
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Care
Giver Sunday
Baptism, New Member Sunday
November 19, 2006
Please pray with me,
Oh God of hope and love, as we hear your Word, and have this time
together to harvest your bountiful grace for us, help us to know
that it is in your heavenly works that we are made to be yours. Our hearts
pray, AMEN.
We are concluding our lectionary
series in the N.T. in Hebrews and Mark with a smack of eschatology, that
curiosity of the unknown, end times, the foresight into the future. Weekly, I
have been attending a pastor’s lectionary study at Westminster Church in Madison
for area Presbyterian clergy; I like it very much. This past week, in our
conversations, I found no one is using these texts that I am preaching on today!
I like that too! Well, kinda; most told me they didn’t want to speak about
eschatology, or the end times, just yet. It was ‘soon enough’ coming to
Advent–in just two weeks, they said. So here we are, you and I, engulfed in a
bit of ‘feeling out’ the future, not only in our church’s future after
stewardship Sunday, but in our own faith lives in seeing the future.
In pondering these texts for
today, I kept seeing the future in them; I placed myself in the text’s time,
saying, “look.” The scene in Mark is controversies and conflicts around Jesus’
teachings in the synagogue; Matthew and Luke proclaim these same happenings
(Matt.24:1-51, Luke 21:5-36). Jesus had
entered the temple to reclaim it really, spiritually, faithfully. He comes out
of church (the temple) and his disciples pounce on him concerning their future;
materially, and not morally. Already he has told them three times of his
departure, along with other insights into his coming death; a ready colt
(11:2-8), a last meal(14:14-16), and the deserters and denial of Peter (14:27,
68-72). Jesus is giving them a taste of his forecasting the end of the age. To
understand this though, we must first accept the preface, the prologue of the
entire gospel of Mark, and maybe all of the Gospels. This is all about Jesus’
purpose, his ability as God’s Son in seeing the future, and helping his
disciples see it too.
Remember way back in the first
verse of the first chapter of Mark; it describes the books content, ‘the good
news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.’ Yes, the gospels are about God’s Son,
Jesus Christ, and yet in Christ’ importance, there is an unfolding of what comes
next, by Jesus. You see, in antiquity a foretelling was necessary or minds went
wandering–they needed “tip-offs” to remind them to pay attention. We’re only one
chapter in Mark from Jesus’ death( Ch.15); we are in the midst of a
‘foreshadowing’ here–it did happen, Jesus foretold it! In other words, Jesus had
to warn, clue-in, or bring his faithful to understand what came next or they
were lost. It’s kinda like today’s world at a stage play, or in a sermon;
pastors are advised in sermon preparing, give the hearers the theme in the first
few sentences, tell them again, and then tell them a third time in the
conclusion, and you will keep their attention and they won’t fall asleep!!
Christianity of ancient times was called ‘the way.’ Perhaps Jesus is preparing
the way for them?
So Jesus, that Son of God who we
know really does have a foretaste of what is to come, tells his disciples his
own eschatologic thoughts, those thoughts furthest; Eschatos comes from
the Greek word meaning ‘last.’* Jesus
prepares them here in Mark that the end is coming when he won’t be around, and
they must keep awake (v. 37), be alert,’ I
have already told you everything’ (v. 23),
be aware (v, 5, 9, ) for the one who
endures to the end will be saved. (v. 13).
Jesus warns of false prophets
(v. 5-6), turmoil of wars with nations
(v.7), and natural disasters
(v. 8), and adds it is but the beginning
of their suffering. Exactly as Jesus describes, Mark tells of what happens
before it happens; the temple (in 70 AD it is
destroyed by the Romans), and him (plot,
arrest, denial, death, burial, and resurrection). Ironically, our text is
written at least thirty-five years after Jesus’ death– Jesus’ words are an
indication, a farewell by Jesus, but powerfully and truly accurate, as well.
As our text in Hebrews relates to
us Christ’ sacrifice for us as sinners, we are forgiven; we can enter the
sanctuary and are of a true heart. It is about our behavior; faith, hope, love,
our call of perseverance with faithful hearts ‘sprinkled clean from evil
conscience’, our holding fast to confessing ‘our hope without wavering’
for ‘he (Christ) who has promised is faithful’, and provoking one another ‘to
love and good deeds’ towards each other. All of this as we ‘see the Day
approaching.’ Yes, until our last day and Christ with us again! Our future is
seen with Christ. As Christ sacrificed himself, as one of us, in his faith,
hope, and love for us, we in turn might be in obedience to Christ and each other
in the same faithfulness. Interestingly, Hebrews, with an O.T.-N.T. covenant
comparison and understanding which you know I love to contrast, has its
following chapters (Ch. 11-12) include many of the faithful; Noah, Abel,
Abraham, and Moses, along with others.
What we know for sure is that just
as Jesus was betrayed, suffered, and died, so we will have our own wars,
disasters, and personal suffering. Most importantly, we will die! The world will
come to an end, perhaps. But through all of this, the sovereignty of God will
reign! Our texts are telling us about the faithful and the unfaithful; who is
wise and who is not. Jesus is telling his followers, and us, to expect the
unexpected, and until the end time comes, our faithfulness and trust, our
endurance to the end is of importance. It’s necessary. It’s a hopeful
anticipation of what is to come. Let us beware!
In the Thanksgiving week ahead,
the good news of the gospel for us is that our yearning for, our seeing the
future, our curiosity of the unknown is common to every culture, all ages and
nations. Importantly, in our preparation, it is unknowable, and unattainable for
us to realize the end of time. And in our faithfulness, our hopefulness, and in
our love of God and one another, do we need to anticipate the inevitable? In our
faithfulness in the future, we are giving of our own thankfulness, to God and
through Jesus Christ in us, baptized and led by the Holy Spirit in being
faithful and thankful for and to each other. We are led by Christ in seeing the
future! In our cleansing with the sign and seal of Christ, our faithfulness is
to God the Father. In acceptance of our new members, again we are led by the
Spirit and called to active ministry for the sake of the gospel–with
faithfulness of heart, hopefulness without wavering, and love towards one
another. In our determination, generosity, and gratitude, let us go, share,
and serve; our endurance to the end is all to the glory of God.
AMEN
* Interest, thoughts, ideas
for my discernment on eschatology are gathered from readings of Weavings,
A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life, Vol. XXI, No.6, Nov.-Dec.
2006. Any scriptural references are to the NRSV ( New Revised Standard Version
).
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